That’s a benign use of this circuitry. Then there’s advertising. The old-school tactics for getting attention in a crowded marketplace—what’s new, improved, surprising—still work. But a mini-industry of brain studies in the service of marketing has led to tactics based on manipulating our unconscious mind. One such study found, for example, that if you show people luxury items or just have them think about luxury goods, they become more self-centered in their decisions.
— Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence (Daniel Goleman), Loc. 472–5